How fast can you recover from a cold

Before you throw your hands up in frustration, rest assured that there are a few steps you can take to give your body the best chance of a speedy recovery.

Most colds will clear up on their own after about seven days, but here are some things to do (and not to do) to help your body recover:

Get plenty of rest

One thing that we know for sure is that your body needs rest to recover from a cold.

Even when you’re healthy and well, there’s a known link between getting enough sleep and having a healthy immune system. When you’re sick, your body needs to direct its efforts towards fighting off infection. Getting plenty of rest is the best way that you can help the process along — that means avoiding exercise, staying home, and relaxing as much as possible.

We all have busy schedules and commitments like work and family, and it can be tempting to push through your discomfort and continue life as usual. Unfortunately, this is likely to make your symptoms worse, and may even drag out your recovery.

If you need a workplace leave certificate, your local Capital Chemist can help. Our pharmacists can issue certificates for short-term, self-limiting conditions that would typically fall into a pharmacists’ scope of practice, which includes common colds. Two days is the maximum length certificate we can issue, and there’s a small fee. All you need to do is visit your local Capital Chemist and speak to your friendly pharmacist.

And remember that it is entirely appropriate to source a COVID-19 test if you have cold symptoms - just to be certain. These can be uncomfortable but it is important because it helps authorities build a picture of where COVID-19 is prevalent or not.

Keep warm

One of the main myths about colds is that they are caused by cold weather. This isn’t the case — colds are caused by viruses — but staying warm can help to provide some relief if you have caught a cold.

There’s some research to suggest that warmth can help to boost the body’s immune response, but we also know that putting on comfy warm pyjamas and snuggling up under a blanket can help to make you comfortable. Comfort is key when you’re riding out a nasty cold!

Limit your contact with others

Colds are highly contagious. The viruses that cause colds are easily spread through droplets of bodily fluids, which are inhaled or spread through touch.

If you’ve caught a cold, you’re all too aware of how unpleasant the symptoms can be. Spare your friends, family, colleagues and community from coming down the cold by keeping your distance and staying home.

In the event that you do need to venture out, be mindful of spreading the virus. Be sure to cough and sneeze into the crook of your arm or into a tissue, regularly wash your hands or use hand sanitizer, and avoid situations where you’re in close contact with others.

Drink plenty of fluids

Dehydration can make your cold symptoms feel much worse, so it’s important to drink lots of fluids while you’re feeling unwell.

Water, tea, warm drinks, broths and soups are all excellent choices. Warm drinks can also help to relieve a sore or itchy throat.

Eat a healthy diet

When you’re feeling poorly, it can be tempting to eat comforting foods. You might also not have much of an appetite.

When you do eat, it’s a good idea to choose foods that are high in nutrients. Eating a nutritious diet is one of the best ways to stay healthy, and this includes maintaining a healthy immune system. Fruit and vegetables are particularly important, and can easily be incorporated into smoothies or soups that have the added benefit of helping you to stay hydrated.

Treat your symptoms

Your pharmacist will be the first to tell you: you can’t cure a cold, but you can treat the symptoms. Whether you’re suffering from a runny or blocked nose, sore throat, headache, or cough, there are lots of different products that can help to soothe your symptoms and provide relief.

Speak to your local Capital Chemist pharmacist to find the right treatment for you and your symptoms.

Consider natural medicines

Let’s be clear: natural medicines or supplements will not cure your cold. However, there is some evidence to suggest that zinc lozenges could shorten the duration of a cold by a couple of days. For zinc to be most effective, it should be taken as soon as you experience symptoms. It’s important to note that zinc is found in some of the foods that we eat, and is also added to supplements, so be careful not to go overboard.

Similarly, research has shown that taking a vitamin C supplement may reduce the duration of cold symptoms for some people, especially older people and those who exercise regularly.

You start sniffling, sneezing, or feeling that familiar tickle in the back of your throat and you know: you've caught a cold. 

Getting a cold is incredibly common — in fact, adults can expect to have 2-3 colds each year, while children can have up to 10 or more.

If you want to get over a cold as fast as possible, just remember that expecting it to disappear tomorrow isn't realistic. 

Most colds cause 7-10 days of symptoms, says Dr. Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, past-president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and professor of pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. 

Though there is no cure for the common cold, it usually goes away on its own — and in the meantime, you can use home remedies and OTC medications to manage your symptoms like cough, sore throat, and congestion.

Here are 16 things you can do to relieve cold symptoms and feel better.

1. Drink plenty of fluids

"The best thing you can do to recover from a cold is to rest and drink plenty of fluids," Whitley-Williams says.

When your airways are inflamed by a cold, they produce more mucus, which can become thick and hard to cough up. 

"Keeping well hydrated helps prevent drying and thickening of the mucus," says Norman Edelman, MD, a professor of medicine and public health at Stony Brook University.

People are often told to drink more fluids when they're sick, but there's limited scientific data on whether that's actually helpful, and colds have not been linked to dehydration. 

That said, illnesses can cause you to lose more fluids than normal. For example, you lose some water each time you blow your nose, "and you need to replace the fluid you're blowing into all those tissues," says Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, a professor of pharmacology and physiology at Georgetown University.

Therefore, try to drink at least the recommended 125 fluid ounces per day for men and 91 fluid ounces for women. Need to keep it simple? That's about 8 glasses.

2. Get enough sleep

Missing out on sleep can weaken your immune system, which may make it harder for your body to fight off infections. Try to get between seven to nine hours of sleep per night.

If you're stuffy, and having trouble falling asleep, it may help to lie on your back with your head propped up with an extra pillow. This can also help to drain mucus from your sinuses while you sleep.

3. Try Theraflu

Dr. J. Wes Ulm, a physician-researcher in residence at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, recommends Theraflu, a medicine that combines acetaminophen (Tylenol), an antihistamine (diphenhydramine), a nasal decongestant (phenylephrine), and often a cough suppressant like dextromethorphan or guaifenesin. 

"It is a common over-the-counter product that helps many patients to get through the headaches, nasal and sinus irritation, and general malaise and 'icky feeling' that frequently show up with colds," Ulm says. 

Note: Antibiotics won't help with the common cold. And while antiviral medications can fight some viruses including influenza and coronavirus, there are no antivirals that are effective for treating colds, Ulm says.

4. Use saline drops

The congestion you feel during a cold is often caused by especially thick or dried out mucus in your sinus and nasal passages. This makes it harder to blow your nose and gives you that stuffed up feeling.

Washing your nasal passages with saline solution can help thin out and moisten mucus, making it easier to clear out.

You can find saline nose drops at most pharmacies. To use saline from a squeeze bottle, follow these steps:

1. Fill the bottle with the saline solution.

2. Insert the bottle into one nostril.

3. Gently squeeze or pour the saline backward into that nostril.

4. The saline should drain out of the other nostril or your mouth.

5. Repeat with the other nostril.

6. Gently blow your nose after finishing.

5. Use a neti pot

A neti pot flushes the sinuses, clearing away mucus and helping you breath easier. To use it, follow these simple steps:

1. Fill the pot with sterilized or distilled water.

2. Stand over a sink, toilet or bowl.

3. Tilt your head to the side, as if you're bringing your right ear to your right shoulder. 

4. Pour the water through the spout and into your left nostril. The water should then drain through your right nostril and pour out, clearing your nose. 

Important: Always prepare the neti pot with distilled or sterilized water to avoid bacterial infection, Ulm says.

6. Gargle salt water

If you have a swollen, sore throat, you can try gargling salt water to relieve the pain.

"Salt water draws out water from the inflamed throat, relieving the pressure in the lining and thus reducing the feeling of soreness," says Edelman.

To do a saltwater gargle, follow these steps:

1. Mix half a teaspoon of salt into eight ounces of warm water.

2. Tilt your head back and gargle the water, making sure not to swallow it.

7. Take pain relievers

Colds often cause headaches, particularly if you're very congested. Taking a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug like ibuprofen can help ease the pain.

If you develop a fever, it's best to take acetaminophen, which acts as both a pain reliever and fever reducer.

8. Take a spoonful of honey

Honey can reduce inflammation helping your sore throat feel better. 

It can also act as a natural cough suppressant: Your esophagus may become irritated when you have a cold — this irritation can trigger a reflex that stimulates the muscles in your airway to make you cough, Edelman says.

Honey can help soothe this irritation and calm your urge to cough.

Add a spoonful of honey to a cup of hot tea or water for the added benefit of steam, which can help loosen mucus and ease congestion.

9. Use a humidifier

"Most colds occur in fall and winter, when humidity is low," Fugh-Berman says. This can dry out the mucus membranes in your sinuses.

Using a humidifier adds moisture to the air. This can soothe your irritated airways and throat, break up mucus, ease congestion, and help you feel more comfortable.

"This is the same reason that warm or steaming liquids — such as chicken or vegetable broth, or hot teas — as well as aromatherapy or shower mist, are found to be so helpful in symptom relief for many cold bouts," Ulm says. 

So, if you don't have a humidifier handy, try taking a warm shower instead.

10. Sip warm liquids

Drinking warm liquids like broth or tea may help relieve symptoms like sore throat and make your nose feel less stuffy.

But if you're drinking tea, make sure to choose a non-caffeinated option like a decaf or herbal tea, as caffeine can dehydrate you.

11. Keep eating

You may not have a big appetite while you're sick, but getting enough calories, vitamins, and minerals can help your body fight the infection, Whitley-Williams says. 

Try soothing, nutritious meals like soups and smoothies – anything that has fluids, fruits, and vegetables, and is to your liking will work, Ulm says.

12. Try Robitussin for coughing

If natural remedies aren't helping with your cough, try dextromethorphan (Robitussin). 

This over-the-counter medication can help reduce a cough by decreasing activity in the area of your brain that triggers coughing.

13. Try OTC decongestants

Decongestants like oxymetazoline (Vicks nasal spray) or pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) can help by shrinking the blood vessels in your nasal passages. 

Your nasal passages become inflamed when you have a cold, making it harder to breathe and causing a stuffy feeling, so by reducing the inflammation you may find relief.

14. Take echinacea

Echinacea is an herb that may help treat cold symptoms because it has antiviral properties and can help reduce pain and inflammation.

Some research, including a small 2020 study of colds in kids, found that echinacea supplements can reduce cold duration, but other studies have found no impact. 

Experts recommend taking tablets with 4,000 mg per day while you have a cold. You can also take up to 10 ml of a liquid extract.

15. Take vitamin C

Vitamin C is well-known for boosting the immune system, but research is inconclusive about whether it's effective at reducing the duration of a cold. 

One scientific review found that taking vitamin C supplements regularly offered some evidence that it could help reduce the length and severity of a cold, but the researchers noted that more studies were needed to confirm the results.

However, it's worth noting that if you only start vitamin C when a cold strikes, you likely won't notice a difference in how long the cold lasts.  

Note: Vitamin C is water soluble, which means if you take too much your body will excrete it in urine, making it generally very safe to take in large doses, Ulm says.

16. Take zinc lozenges

Zinc is a mineral that may help fight off the rhinovirus that causes many colds by stopping the virus from multiplying and keeping it from lodging in your nose and throat. 

And there is research to support this, showing that taking zinc supplements may reduce a cold's duration and severity, Ulm says. 

For example, one scientific analysis found that those who took 75 milligrams (mg) of zinc each day had colds that were on average 33% shorter than those who didn't take zinc. The researchers called for more studies to replicate these results and support zinc as an effective treatment for colds. 

Important: This analysis looked at the effectiveness of 75 mg of zinc. That's more than the recommended upper limit for adults, which is 40 mg. Talk to your doctor about the safety of using zinc supplements short term.

Testing is important

Colds can mimic other viral illnesses, including COVID-19 and the Flu, with symptoms like a sore throat and cough. When in doubt, it's best to err on the side of caution. 

"If you're unsure whether you have a cold or another respiratory illness, talk to a healthcare professional about your symptoms," Whitley-Williams says. 

This is especially important if you're around infants, the elderly, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, or people with suppressed immune systems, since these groups are at higher risk for complications from colds and other respiratory illnesses. 

Colds can lead to other infections

Colds can linger for two weeks or more. But if they last three weeks or longer or if you start feeling better and then suddenly feel worse, you should see a doctor, Ulm says. 

That's because colds can increase your risk for other infections, including:

• Ear infection
• Sinus infection
• Bronchitis
• Pneumonia 

If you develop a bacterial infection after having a cold, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat that infection, Ulm says. 

Insider's takeaway

There are no medications available to treat the common cold, and research is mixed about whether certain supplements can help shorten the duration of a cold. 

However, over-the-counter medications and home remedies can make you more comfortable while your immune system goes to work. The best thing you can do to fight a cold is rest and stay well-hydrated.

Moreover methods like using saline solution, trying zinc lozenges, and taking a spoonful of honey can all help you feel better while on the road to recovery.

"Take a sick day and simply eat, sleep, and stay well-hydrated," Ulm says. "You'll facilitate your body's broader healing and recovery, and strengthen your immune system against any subsequent cold bouts."

If your symptoms last longer than a week or become severe, reach out to your doctor for treatment.